Essence Devouring Art

WHOOSH~

Goose-feather snow fell, blanketing the world in silver.

Nearly ten days had passed since Wu Dao returned to Lancang County City from Martial King Mountain.

In those ten days, the weather had grown increasingly foul.

The dark clouds never dispersed, occasionally unleashing torrents of snow upon the world. The ominous, heavy aura pervading heaven and earth grew ever thicker.

In fact, it wasn’t just the Southern Border.

The other four regions also suffered various natural and unnatural disasters to differing degrees.

The Western Desert was afflicted by a persistent drought, its scorching sun like a furnace.

The East Sea was wracked by floods and tidal waves, swallowing countless lives.

The Northern Lands were overrun by plagues, with disease running rampant.

Even in the Central Plains, the heartland where the fortunes of the Human Dao gathered, the earth dragons frequently turned over, causing earthquakes that destroyed one city after another.

All sorts of calamities were running wild at the same time.

Under such abnormal circumstances, all living things—

be they Extraordinaries or common folk—

could feel the oppressive, decaying atmosphere of an impending storm.

This led to considerable unrest among the populace.

The Southern Border had always enjoyed a pleasant climate; snow in autumn was a rarity in its history, let alone days of ceaseless snowfall.

Most commoners believed this to be an omen of great disaster. They feared that in the near future, the world would be plunged into misery and death, overrun by plagues and calamities, leaving them in a constant state of terror.

Fortunately, the Nine Prefectures of the South Border were currently unified.

The military and political control system was crude but complete, preventing any major turmoil. Ordinary people continued to live their lives as they always had, though their suffering had intensified.

Within the Extraordinary Realm,

the strange celestial phenomena of the past few days had also sparked numerous rumors.

Cultivators of all levels could clearly feel that their Cultivation was becoming more and more difficult.

This was most apparent for those at the Innate realm and above.

When they circulated their techniques each day, they could distinctly feel a decrease in the various energies they absorbed.

It was as if the heavens were gradually closing the gate that connected humanity to the world, leaving them deeply unsettled. They could only explain it as the coming of the Dharma Decline Era.

But the true, specific reason was known only to those who had reached the Dao Embryo realm, or to a few ancient monsters who had lived for ages.

”Strange phenomena manifest, calamities befall the world, fortune fades and the Dao fails, the path ahead is severed. The omens have appeared; the tribulation is near...”

Martial King Mountain.

At the foot of Wuliang Mountain.

Qiu Tianjing stood with his hands behind his back, reaching out to catch the large snowflakes. His expression was grave as he exhaled a turbid breath.

The Nine Tribulations of the Divine Wilderness occurred over thirty thousand years.

Before each tribulation, all sorts of strange phenomena would appear in the world, the various Extraordinary Factors would diminish, and the path of Cultivation would become fraught with hardship.

A thousand years ago, during the Ninth Tribulation,

the Southern Border was much like it is today. The only difference was that the tribulation then was a great drought, while now it was a blizzard.

As for the other regions, they too were ravaged by different disasters, which slaughtered countless living beings.

This situation would continue until the tribulation ended.

During the Ninth Tribulation, the founder of Martial King Mountain fought to the death to protect the mountain and ensure its survival.

A thousand years later,

the Tenth Tribulation.

It was also the final one.

For the living beings of this era, the power of this final tribulation would surpass that of all previous eras.

Whether he could continue to protect Martial King Mountain...

Qiu Tianjing did not have much confidence in his heart.

But as the current Martial King, he could not retreat. Not only could he not retreat, but he had to face the tribulation head-on, prepared to die for his Dao without regret.

’No matter what, I must protect the foundation of Martial King Mountain...’

Gritting his teeth,

Qiu Tianjing activated Wuliang Mountain and began to climb toward its peak, tempering himself in the hope of stepping into the Great Divine Power Domain before the tribulation arrived, thereby gaining a bit more confidence.

In fact,

there were quite a few Divine Ability Users like Qiu Tianjing who were determined to live or die with their sects, vowing to shine one last time even in death.

The Four Peaks of the Southern Border, and even the many Holy Lands throughout the Great Li World—

regardless of their alignment—

all began to sharpen their blades and prepare for the tribulation with all their might after sensing its approach.

The battles on the front lines of the four regions and in the Central Plains

had also grown more intense. Every day saw massive slaughters mobilizing over a hundred thousand people, creating one giant meat grinder after another.

The four princes all knew what that position represented.

Whether for the public good or for private gain,

everyone wanted to climb to the pinnacle of this world before the tribulation arrived and possess enough power to resist it.

The continued deterioration of the world’s environment

was naturally felt most clearly by Wu Dao, who cultivated the Life Magnetic Power.

But he wasn’t particularly panicked.

A normal cultivator of the Three Dantians and three paths would find it difficult to absorb Heaven and Earth Energy due to the End of Dharma Tribulation.

He, however, was not subject to this limitation.

All things possessed magnetic field energy, which permeated the world and was inexhaustible.

Even if the Three High-Energy Extraordinary Factors—Spiritual Qi, Yuan Qi, and Soldier Qi—were to completely diminish, it would not have much of a substantial impact on his path.

WHOOSH~

CRACKLE!!

Sixteen thousand nine hundred meters up in the sky!

A mixture of golden and red Celestial Thunder Gang Wind annihilated everything, crushing the eight poles of the void like a chaotic ocean of Purgatory.

In the eye of this oceanic storm,

a cloud of pure golden blood mist, even more dazzling and blinding than the celestial thunder, could be seen. Primordial Magnetic currents surged and crackled within it, causing the surrounding Celestial Thunder Gang Wind to shatter into pure energy before it could even get close, which was then absorbed by the blood mist.

THUMP THUMP THUMP~

A heartbeat like the beating of celestial drums continuously shook the sea of gang wind and thunder, as if an Ancient Divine Demon was about to break free from its shackles and emerge into the world.

HUM~

At a certain moment,

the frantic heartbeat stopped.

The blood mist converged, devouring the surrounding magnetic field energy like a whale. It generated flesh and blood, meridians, and limbs, coalescing into the form of Wu Dao.

HAAAH~

He let out a turbid breath.

A divine light shone in Wu Dao’s eyes. He had finished ten days of life-and-death limit-pushing tempering. His spiritual consciousness felt slightly swollen, but it quickly returned to normal.

With a thought,

he opened his attribute panel—

[Physique: Human Extreme (Limit)]

[Extraordinary: Essence Devouring Art (92% Potential Release) +

Thunder Punishment Dominating Whale Fist 9000 years (True Intent Twelfth Floor) +

Undying Transformation 9000 years (Horizontal Refining Seventh Gate Limit) +]

[Teleportation Points: 46615]

On the panel,

the Immortal Black Tortoise Divine Skill had disappeared.

After ten days of deduction using Divine Buddha Wisdom, it had successfully merged with the Divine Desolate Transformation, becoming a brand-new Cultivation Technique that pointed directly to the Ninth Gate Limit.

Moreover,

during these ten days of continuous destruction and reconstruction,

his body had reached the absolute limit of the Horizontal Refining Seventh Gate Limit. As long as he wished, he could step into the Eighth Gate at any time.

In addition,

there was another gain.

While his spiritual consciousness was constantly driving the Thunder Punishment Dominating Whale Fist to endure the tempering of the Celestial Thunder Gang Wind, it was also operating beyond its limits to deduce and merge the Divine Desolate Transformation and the Immortal Black Tortoise True Art.

After this arduous cultivation and tempering ended,

his Thunder Strike Dominating Whale Fist Intent had directly stepped into the True Intent Twelfth Floor.

It was also just one step away.

Taking that step would transform it into the Great Boxing Trend!

Although his Human Potential Release hadn’t progressed, it was only a paper-thin barrier away from 93% and could be broken through at any time.

’Nine thousand years... a transformation at ten thousand?’

After one last glance at the Thunder Punishment Dominating Whale Fist and Undying Transformation,

Wu Dao closed the attribute panel. He rose to his full height, shaking away the surrounding golden-red Celestial Thunder Gang Wind that could no longer threaten him, and shot off toward the distant sky.

The breakthrough to the Horizontal Refining Eighth Gate

would definitely cause a huge commotion.

In the process of human evolution, there was no such foolish practice as deliberately suppressing one’s power.

If he were to break through in Lancang County City,

his home base, along with nearly a million people, might be burned to ashes by the time he was done.

If he really did that,

his name, Wu Dao, would probably resound throughout the world for a third time.

But this time, it wouldn’t be for a good reputation. On the contrary, it would be the name of a peerless Demon that everyone would want to execute.

Only an abnormal imbecile would do something so detrimental, with no benefits whatsoever.

RUMBLE—

After leaving Lancang County City,

Wu Dao no longer suppressed his speed. Wreathed in the immense sound of a thunderstorm, he vanished over the horizon in the blink of an eye.

With thunder and lightning trailing in his wake,

Wu Dao quickly crossed several Prefectures of the Southern Border.

Everywhere he passed, heavy snow swirled. It was a bleak and bitterly cold scene, as if a thousand mountains had no birds in flight, and ten thousand paths had no human tracks.

This situation continued until Wu Dao neared the Western Desert. Once he was far from human settlements, the air became slightly drier, and the boundless golden sea of sand was faintly visible. Only then did things improve.

In this barren wilderness,

the temperature was noticeably higher.

What was once a heavy blizzard had become sporadic light snow.

As he traveled across thousands of mountains and lands,

Wu Dao also discovered a pattern.

This sudden blizzard disaster seemed to target only places where life gathered. The more life there was in a place, the more severe the disaster.

In desolate places like this, which were unsuitable for life, the blizzard was relatively weak.

Such a strange and abnormal situation

could no longer be described by the Dharma Decline Era. It was as if the heavens themselves wanted to exterminate all life in the world and were delivering calamities with pinpoint precision.

’The Celestial Dao is merciless...’

A glint flickered in Wu Dao’s eyes as he suppressed the various thoughts in his mind and flew higher into the sky.

The Celestial Dao is inherently dispassionate; without passion, how can there be anger?

Behind this abnormal disaster,

it was likely not as simple as the so-called rise of yin and fall of yang, or the coming of the Dharma Decline Era.

When he thought back to what Prince Nanyang had said about them being fellow travelers in the future,

faintly,

Wu Dao seemed to see an invisible Abyss beyond the Great Era, slowly approaching, wanting to swallow the entire Divine Wilderness.

The disasters currently sweeping across the lands

were the minions sent by that mastermind behind the scenes.

At the same time, it was a reminder to the living beings of this world: your good days are over.

HAAAH~

High above the boundless desert,

Wu Dao let out a slow, turbid breath, suppressed his distracting thoughts, and released his Undying Tyrant Body. Great Sun Liquid surged, and his physique rapidly shone with a dazzling light.

In the blink of an eye,

a great sun appeared high in the sky, radiating a Supreme Yang aura. Its light illuminated the vast world, melting the falling snow and dispelling the endless misery and chilling cold.

Wu Dao’s qi, blood, and power fully recovered. His Essence, Qi, and Spirit rapidly ascended to their peak state as he officially began his assault on the Horizontal Refining Eighth Gate.

Worrying about the sky falling was useless.

Whether it was the Great Tribulation or some mastermind,

in this world,

Martial Power could solve ninety-nine percent of all problems. The remaining one percent was just a matter of not having enough Martial Power.

As long as he had enough Power,

no problem would be a problem anymore!

There were no surprises with this breakthrough.

He was already on the threshold.

All he needed to do was take the final step.

About half an hour later,

the golden light of the Divine Sun that illuminated the world gradually transformed into a dreamy, glazed color. For a hundred miles in every direction, the sky resembled a dazzling Star River, surreal and dreamlike.

But within this dreamlike radiance,

lurked an extremely terrifying danger.

It was clearly visible

that as the great sun’s light shone with the brilliance of a Star River, layers of heat that could scorch the void itself roiled and boiled.

As the overwhelming power bore down,

the rolling hills and countless grains of sand all began to melt, evaporate, and vaporize as if they were melting snow. The area for a hundred miles around was like an operating Immortal Furnace, incinerating everything within it.